Cisco Webex as well as Microsoft Lync belong to the best solutions that make video conferencing available in a web-based manner. Thus they are responding to trends in the business world which ask for more flexibility in the employees’ and company’s working environment.

Advantages of using web based video conferences

Companies benefit in several ways from using web based video conferencing instead of the traditional way of adding a video conference solution to the company’s local network. Web based video conferencing is much more cost efficient than setting up a whole video conference room. It can be added to the company’s working tools with some simple clicks without any need of installing complex solutions on local computers. This leads furthermore to an easier way to manage the video conference solutions. An additional benefit applies to the usage. Employees can use the video conferencing tool from all over the world, no matter where they are based or if they are travelling or only have access to a mobile device. As soon as they have an internet connection they can start a video conference.

Similarities between Microsoft Lync and Cisco Webex

Both, Microsoft Lync and Cisco Webex offer high quality web based video conferencing with a broad range of collaboration functions. Hence they are fighting for customers for quite a long time now. Lync and Webex both offer all common Unified Communication functions, like desktop and data sharing, multipoint video conferencing and the high definition sharing of presentations in parallel to video conferences. Both are highly competitive in the corporate world; they only differ in the approach they take on video conferencing and collaboration and minor functionalities

Advantages of Cisco Webex

Webex ruling the market till Lync 2013 came out seems geared towards integrating and connecting teams across the world. In addition to web based conferencing that is in a basic version accessible without any charge it focusses on cloud based data storing and sharing. Furthermore it promotes online seminars and webinars for people all over the world.

Advantages of Microsoft Lync 2013

Microsoft Lync on the other hand seems geared towards integrating a unified workspace within the Microsoft family. Lync is tightly linked to prominent Microsoft products like Excel and Outlook. By this it offers a very high level of Unified Communication and smooth integration of video conferencing into the existing working environment. Another feature supporting UC that was added to Microsoft Lync in the new version is the cooperation of Lync and Skype. Now even external users without a Lync access can join a video conference via Skype. Lync 2013 furthermore provides features like face detection and smart framing which improve the user’s experience during a video conference. Another benefit for users is the preinstalled meeting layouts. Users can choose between four different layouts when they start the video conference and pick the one that is best for the current video conference. Even more individualised is the layout by video pinning and video spotlight features that allow the user to show the video of one person in a constant presenting mode or allow the presenting mode to be automatically assigned to the person who is speaking.